Bezos wants to build Blue Origin space station for tourism, manufacturing
Startup Sierra Space to work alongside Blue Origin in project
KENT, Wash. -- Jeff Bezos wants to build a commercial space station that's nearly as big as the International Space Station.
Blue Origin, the rocket and space tourism company founded by Bezos, is proposing a massive new commercial space station called "Orbital Reef," CNN reported.
It could be used to host science experiments, vacation getaways and even in-space manufacturing.
The company plans to work alongside startup Sierra Space to bring the space station to fruition.
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Executives declined to give an all-in cost estimate during a press conference Monday, but said they are expecting to sign on NASA as an anchor tenant.
NASA has put out calls for proposals for commercial space stations as the 20-year-old International Space Station is nearing the end of its lifespan.
Blue Origin hopes Orbital Reef could be operational in the late 2020s.
The projects are exorbitantly expensive and risky.
They will likely cost in the tens of billions of dollars and require multiple safe launches before a human ever even rides aboard.
